Tag Archives: ICE

Here’s a story going around about a fellow that was legally brought to this country forty years ago by his parents from Poland when he was three. He had all of his papers, grew up, went to college and became a successful doctor and family man and then was picked up by ICE for possible deportation back to Poland.

What? His wife and children are Americans. He’s here legally working with a green card, he’s in the medical field and is vouched for by his colleagues and friends…., he’s got to be a crook. Right?

Well, according to most news sources, no.

The only blemish on Dr. Niec’s reputation is a record of two juvenile misdemeanor convictions that took place when he was only 17-years-old, one for receiving and concealing stolen property, the other for the destruction of property worth less than $100. Dr. Niec pleaded guilty to these charges more than 25 years ago under a plea deal, the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, that leaves young offenders with a clean criminal record if they keep out of trouble.

It sounds like just some teenage hijinks that he got caught at and probably went a long way into making him the upstanding citizen that he is today. I can’t see deporting a legal resident over that alone. Might there be more to the story?

You betcha’! While most news outlets aren’t reporting this I heard the following on CBS this morning. Newsmax is the only online source I could find that also contained this bit of information.

Court records also show that Niec pleaded guilty to a 2008 operating impaired by liquor offense for which he completed probation, and the conviction was set aside. He was also charged with domestic violence in 2013 and a jury found him not guilty after a trial.

Still all minor stuff but to remain a legal resident you need to keep your nose clean. And there is also the fact that he has been a legal resident for 40 years without becoming a citizen. Why is that? Could there be more? There probably is.

The problem I have with this story is the headline from the first article I quoted, “Trump’s ICE just deported a doctor living in the U.S. for 40 years”. Would we be seeing this headline if DACA wasn’t in the forefront of the news this week?

I hate to think that maybe the news might be using this story to manipulate public opinion.